About Us

Quality Initiatives

The Department of Pediatrics is committed to continuous improvement in all domains and focuses on the Institute of Medicine's six domains of healthcare quality. We perform, support and train in improvement science and partner with Northwestern University for more comprehensive training. We will consider our program a success when we view everything as an opportunity for improvement.

Healthcare quality and safety initiatives are critical to providing optimal healthcare as well as reducing variations of care that will facilitate greater learning in all forms of research. Faculty involved in these initiatives help train medical students, residents and fellows in quality and safety.

The Department of Pediatrics is looking to expand the number of faculty members with healthcare quality and safety expertise. We offer several opportunities for faculty to expand their expertise in these areas:

Certificate Course for Improvement Scholars

This six-month course involves multidisciplinary faculty and participants including physicians. Scholars learn in didactic sessions and initiate an improvement project in their microsystem to accelerate their learning.

Journal Writing Club

We have initiated an Improvement Writers group that will advance optimal utilization of SQUIRE guidelines in September 2018. Graduates of this program are expected to submit healthcare quality and safety manuscripts, help teach the ensuing session and serve as mentors for other colleagues working in these areas.

Value in Healthcare

Faculty involved in quality and safety initiatives are currently developing a method for quantifying value in healthcare. This will enable the institution to prioritize work based on metrics that matter most to our patients and their families.

Wendy J Brickman

Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Endocrinology)

Currently I am an associate professor at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine and an attending physician at the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, splitting my time between research and clinical care. I have been fortunate to train and practice and Lurie Children's. Prior to practicing medicine I pursued advanced degrees in secondary education and biochemistry, both of which have enhanced my skills as a pediatrician.

Mehul V Raval

Professor of Surgery (Pediatric General Surgery) and Pediatrics

Mehul V. Raval, MD, MS grew up in a small town in North Carolina. From a young age he was mesmerized by science and medicine. Dr. Raval completed is undergraduate studies as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his medical education at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. During medical school he participated in a one-year Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowship. Dr. Raval trained in General Surgery at Northwestern University where he completed a 2-year American College of Surgeons Clinical Scholar program during which he also earned a Masters of Science in Clinical Invest...

Joanna S Blackburn

Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Neurology and Epilepsy) and Medical Education

Joanna Blackburn, MD received her medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine, completed her pediatrics residency at NYU and her child neurology residency at Northwestern University/Children's Memorial Hospital (now Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago). She then completed a fellowship in pediatric movement disorders at University of Rochester. She joined the faculty at Northwestern University/Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago in 2012. Additionally she has been the program directory for the child neurology residency training program since 2013.

Meghan E O'Neill

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics)

Dr. O'Neill completed her undergraduate degree in psychology and pre-professional studies at the University of Notre Dame, her medical school degree at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, a general pediatrics residency at Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago, and a neurodevelopmental disabilities combined residency/fellowship at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. She is board certified in both General Pediatrics and Neurology with special qualifications in Child Neurology. She enjoys practicing medicine in a multidisciplinary environment whe...

Peter A Lio

Clinical Assistant Professor of Dermatology and Pediatrics

I am interested in Atopic Dermatitis (Eczema) and alternative medicines. We have created a center called the Chicago Integrative Eczema Center that is devoted to taking care of patients with eczema and their families, with an emphasis on education about the disease. I am also very interested in connective tissue diseases such as lupus and dermatomyositis. I am a medical acupuncturist and am interested in alternative medical approaches to dermatologic diseases. Finally, I am interested in medical student and resident education.

Sally Reynolds

Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Emergency Medicine)

I graduated from Loyola Medical School and did pediatric residency and pediatric emergency medicine fellowship at Children's Memorial Hospital / Northwestern University. I served as the medical director of the emergency department at Children's Memorial and Lurie Children's hospital. I'm currently the medical director of risk management. I'm very involved in disaster planning for children and hospital preparedness.

Cynthia E Castiglioni

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Hospital-Based Medicine)

Dr. Cynthia Castiglioni completed her undergraduate education at the University of Notre Dame and received her medical degree at the University of Pittsburgh. After completing her pediatric residency at Children's Memorial Hospital, she joined the Division of Hospital Based Medicine in 2009. She is the Medical Director for Floor 21 at the Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago as well as the Clinical Practice Director for the hospitalist group.

Jennifer Schneiderman

Professor of Pediatrics (Hematology, Oncology, and Stem Cell Transplantation)

My primary research interest is the induction of transplant tolerance; this applies to the prevention and treatment of a/cGVHD in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and prevention and treatment of rejection in solid organ transplantation.

Hassan M.K. Ghomrawi

Associate Professor of Surgery (Pediatric General Surgery), Medicine (Rheumatology) and Pediatrics

Dr. Ghomrawi is an experienced health services researcher focused on conducting health services and outcomes studies in surgery that challenge and aim to improve on current clinical practices. He has been conducting NIH-funded clinical research studies for more than 15 years and have published 50+ articles in some of the most prestigious medical and surgical journals. He has specific interests in appropriateness of surgical care, decision making, cost effectiveness analysis, patient reported outcomes, and patient expectations. He also has interest in using technology to improve surgical outcom...